Live While We're Young
by Alter Alyce
Summary: Alex Danvers spent most of her childhood taking care of Kara, Barry spent most of his pining over his best friend and thinking of his dad in prison. When college life hits them. Will they force everything out or finally start to live their lives. In "We could be Heroes" verse. And continuing the song lyric titles :)


Stanford University

Alex sighed in familiarity when arrived at her dorm. It was her second year of College. Stanford was slowly becoming her solace.

It was a small freedom.

As much as she loved Kara, Alex didn't have to take care of someone twenty four seven. And her without her mom talking her ear off about Kara.

Only when she returned home did she realize how overbearing it was having to take care of your little sister and have your mother nag your ear off. Suddenly living in a small one bedroom alone didn't seem so bad.

Alex just finished unpacking her clothes and her books when someone knocked on his door.

Jenny, Alex's best friend, barged into the room. Dragging a really tall and lanky boy.

"Hey Alex!" Jasmine said enthusiastically releasing her hold on the boy and hugged Alex. "I've missed you!"

"You too." Alex said with a big smile. She frowned and look at the boy in her room. "Who's your new friend?"

"I adopted a Freshie!" Jasmine said. "I'm showing him around."

"Why?"

"They're offering upperclassmen to help show the freshmen around."

"I'm right here." The mysterious boy said. He had brown hair these curious green eyes and a rather cheeky smile. He offered his hand to Alex. "I'm Barry, Barry Allen."

"Alex, Alex Danvers." Alex said shaking his hand. "You don't look like a freshman."

"What makes you say that?" he asked

"Well you don't have the usual annoying eager to please type of persona that most Freshmen have."

"I've studied at a science school before. So I am fairly confident with my abilities. But I am eager to start classes. It would be so great having certain classes with people who can actually understand."

"Barry's taking some of the second year Chemistry and Physics classes." Jasmine informed Alex.

"Really?" Alex said skeptically. "How?"

"I took a lot of AP classes in high school." Barry said. "I earned a scholarship here in Stanford."

"Well, that's nice." Alex commented. "So where did you and Jasmine meet."

"I went to the Freshman Orientation." Jasmine said. "And I met a bunch of the new Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering majors. And I met Barry and offered to show him around."

"I actually need to go." Barry said after looking at his watch. "I haven't really started to unpack. And knowing me, I might have a late start tomorrow morning. So I don't want to be stumbling around on the first day."

"Oh, do you need directions…"

"No, It's okay." Barry said. "I think I know how to get there. It was nice meeting you both."

"Bye Barry." Jasmine said Alex just nodded at him then he left.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Alex asked in exasperation.

"What?" Jasmine asked innocently.

"You know what."

"Oh, come on." Jasmine said already raiding the mini fridge in Alex's apartment. "Barry is nice, smart, and cute. What else would you ask for? I mean if I introduce him to someone else, they just might pounce on him then and there."

"I don't want a boyfriend." Alex said with a groan. "I don't want the emotional drag that comes with it. You know, go on dates and stuff like that. And the breakup might be a messy situation that might just break me."

"Come on, Alex." Jasmine insisted. "You've been telling me you want to come out of this shell from the responsibilities your parents are forcing upon you. This is a way to deal with that."

"Getting a boyfriend isn't a solution to that." Alex said. "That is a distraction."

"Maybe you are afraid to commit." Jasmine teased.

"I am not."

"One date." Jasmine insisted. "It doesn't have to be Barry. It could be anyone. Just one."

"Fine." Alex grumbled. "But I'm not doing it right this week. We are just staring and we have to get back to the flow of classes again."

"Sure, sure." Jasmine said. "Just make sure you have one before the semester ends or…"

"Or?"

"Or I'm setting you up on a blind date." Jasmine said with a smirk. "And this is going to be so much fun."

Alex groaned. "Why am I talking to you again?"

"Because you love me."

"Sure, tell yourself that."

~()~

The first two weeks passed by in a flash. Alex had started to get back in the flow of homeworks, classes and studying again. She met Barry in her Chemistry class.

Alex wasn't really comfortable with some of the people in her class. (Some of them rubbed her the wrong way.) And Barry was new so they partnered up in that class.

They started to get to know each other more. Barry was this very open minded and optimistic guy. He is a great listener and gives really good advice. And Alex knew this after getting in a fight with one of her friends in another class. It was easy to open up to Barry. And he wasn't an idiot unlike the other freshman in their class. So that helped Alex a lot in terms of working with Barry.

There was a big project coming up. With a paper and a presentation. And Alex was freaking out. It was Saturday already. And the project deadline was moved up to Monday. They just gotten the news of the move and they have yet to finish half of the stupid paper.

Alex threw her hands in the air and leaned heavily at the backrest with a groan. "This is a disaster."

Barry looked up from the top of his glasses. "What is?"

"We're never going to finish this on time. What is Mr. James thinking!"

"Well, he is a lonely man with no life other than making the lives of college students miserable." Barry said resuming his typing. "Besides, this isn't the first move up that he's made."

"Yeah, but the other one was a library report." Alex complained. "This project is four times harder than that."

"You're becoming tense." Barry commented not looking up from the computer screen. "Relax, we'll be able to make it on time."

"Barry, this is due in two days." Alex cried. "Two days! And we are barely half done."

"Actually I think we're more than half." Barry said removing his glasses and placing it on the table beside the laptop.

"What are you doing?"

"WE," Barry emphasized. "Are going to take a break. Order some take out maybe and watch a movie or two before getting back to work."

"What?" Alex demanded. "We have a lot of work to do! We can't take a break now!"

"And you can't work properly tense." Barry said calmly. "So, what do you want? Pizza or chinese food? My treat."

"You pick, I'm going back to work." Alex said getting back on her laptop. Barry gently took her hands of the keyboard and closed the top of the laptop.

"We are taking a break." Barry insisted. "The only thing that you should be thinking about for the next hour or so is what toppings you want on your pizza or what you want from Panda's. I've only tried ordering take out from to places and I really don't want to try anything new when I'm working on something big."

"I am feeling a bit hungry." Alex admitted. Barry smiled widely.

"Okay, so Chinese food or Pizza?"

"Pizza would be fine."

"Awesome. Preference?"

"Anything's fine."

"Okay." Barry said. "So, pick a movie and we'll get this party started."

Alex went over Barry's movie collection. Which is impressive considering that he lives in a small dorm like Alex does. He as a very well rounded collection. Some romance, fantasy, horror.

"See anything you like?"

Alex picked out a movie from the pile. "This one."

" _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._ " Barry said impressed. "Fan of one of the best movies in the history of book adapted films?"

"Actually, I haven't watched it yet." Alex admitted.

"What!" Barry asked surprised. "How and why?"

"Well, My sister and I watched the first two and decided to read the books first. And Kara took a while reading them."

"This will not do!" Barry said. "We have to remedy that now."

They watched at the small TV inside the dorm room while sharing on a large peperoni pizza. Barry imitates Severus Snape in some scenes. Making Alex laugh with his dorkiness. It helped her relax a little more. Their project temporarily forgotten.

Barry looks over to his side and found Alex asleep leaning on the couch arm. Barry looked at the time. It was already two in the morning. And they barely realized how late it was. Barry turned off the movie. He moved her a bit so she was lying down, putting a pillow under her head and covered her with the spare blanket.

After making sure to save all their progress, he too went to bed. It would be useless to wake her up this late to work on a project half coherent.

~()~

Alex woke up the next morning to the sound of typing. Barry was back to his seat and working on their project.

"Morning sleepyhead." Barry greeted seeing her move above his computer screen.

"Morning?" Alex said then realized that she fell asleep. She jumped back to her feet. "Why did you let me sleep? We're never going to finish this in time."

"You looked like you need the sleep." Barry said. "Besides, I double checked our progress and I manged to get some work done just this morning and I think we are almost done with this paper. We just need to finish the presentation and we're done. And with a complete paper, the presentation shouldn't take much."

"You shouldn't have done all that by yourself. I could've helped."

"I know." Barry said. "It wasn't much trouble really. We did most of the research last Friday so the writing didn't really take much."

"But…"

"Alex." Barry said looking at her seriously. "You are exhausted. You need a good night's sleep. Wearing yourself to the ground isn't going to help you. So, why don't you sit down and when you are a little more coherent you can start on the presentation. Do you want some breakfast? I picked up some food from the diner nearby. Help yourself."

Barry motioned to the paper bag on the table. And he went to refill his coffee and get some for her.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"I'm sorry for last night…"

"It's alright." Barry said. "My friend Iris used to fall asleep while working all the time. Continuing in the morning is way better than doing it tired. You get more progress and you don't wear yourself to the ground."

"Oh." Alex said a strange feeling growing at the mention of Iris. "Is Iris your girlfriend?"

"No." Barry said quickly. "She's my best friend. Her dad, my foster dad, took me in after everything that happened to my parents."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"It's not like that." Barry said but he was a little less bubbly about the situation. "My mom was killed, and they suspected my dad for murder. He didn't kill my mom. But they arrested him. Iris' dad took me in. So I don't have to go into an orphanage or the government foster home system. I was eleven. It would be a little harder for an older kid to get adopted. So I am greatful to Iris and her father for everything they've done for me."

Alex nodded in understanding. "It must be hard. Your whole world suddenly changing like that."

"Yeah. But I'll live."

"My sister Kara was adopted too." Alex said. "She lost her parents. And when she came to live with us I didn't think there would be anything else worse."

"It's okay. Really." Barry insisted. "It happened in the past. I still want justice for my dad of course. But for now we should focus on what we're going through. I think that's what they would want for me. To live my life. But it's hard you know."

"Yeah." Alex said. College for her was living a life outside of Kara and her family. She didn't realize how much freedom she really had. But she also didn't realize how much she might be missing not living her life to the fullest.

She looks at Barry, who like Kara, had his life uprooted. But he has this optimistic disposition over life, despite everything he has been through.

Alex took a sip on her coffee. She doesn't want to think about that now. They have a project to finish.

~()~

Some friends were going to the beach on the Thanksgiving break. And Barry insisted that Alex come.

That is how she found her self in her swimsuit in a beach a few miles from the campus. She sat under an umbrella with a book on her lap when a soaking wet Jasmine sat beside her.

"Hey! I am so glad you reconsidered." Jasmine said. "It's nice having you here. It's been a while since we went on an outing like this."

"Barry was very persuasive."

"Speaking of." Jasmine said looking at her intently. "What is going on with you and that lovable nerd?"

"Nothing"

"Mhmm."

"I'm serious." Alex said looking at where Barry was playing volleyball with some of their classmates. "There's nothing going on he's just a really great friend."

"Just keep telling yourself that." Jasmine said. "But remember you made a deal with me."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex said waving her off. "Shouldn't you be off playing with the guys? Or at least in the water."

"Oh, I think I'll just sit her and watch the show." Jasmine said with a mischievous smile.

Alex looked at her in confusion then. Dave, one of their friends suddenly threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Come on, Danvers! You look too dry! Cliff Diving!"

"Put me down!"

"Sure!" David said "When we get to the top."

The boys and some of the more adventurous girls went to one of the cliffs at the beach. One by one they started to jump of the cliff. Alex was the last one looking down at the cliff where they were all waiting for her.

"Hey."

Alex turned around and found Barry behind her.

"Hey."

"So, are you going to jump."

"Isn't this dangerous?"

"Well I think it is." Barry said. "But there are like one out of ten people I think that could get injured."

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"It'll be fun." Barry insisted. "Come on."

"You go."

"We can go together." Barry suggested offering his hand. "What do you say?"

She looked skeptically at the offered hand and the cliff. She nervously took his hand. Barry smiled at her cheekily which caused her to smile as well.

"All right on three."

"One… Two…"

"Three!" Alex exclaimed and they both jumped the cliff.

It was an experience that she would never forget. The adrenaline was invigorating. The rush of wind through her body. The scream that released all the tension in her body. And the hand that held tightly to hers.

As soon as they hit the water, she was still feeling the adrenaline. When she resurfaced the water, she looked to her side where Barry was. His hair was plastered on his forehead and he was laughing loudly. She could feel herself laugh as well.

It was a feeling she never want to end.

After a few playful banters with her friends they all started to swim back to shore. Most of the boys climbed back to the cliff to jump again. Barry however was contented with just hanging around the girls. 'Someone has to make sure no one takes advantage of all these lovely ladies.' He gave a cheeky grin to Alex who playfully shoved him.

He planted himself on the towel beside her and started to ramble about some TV show he watched.

Alex felt comfortable around Barry. He wasn't like any guy she met before. She glanced at Jasmine who was giving her some hand signals.

She turned her attention Barry, who was now relaxing on the towel and watching the water.

"Barry."

"Yes?"

"I-uh. Would you like to go out with me sometime."

"L-like a date?"

"Yeah." Alex said then thought for a minute. "This is a really bad idea…forget I said anything."

Alex turned away but Barry. He sat up and looked at Alex.

"I'd love to go out sometime." Barry said with a smile. "But, if you don't mind. I would like to take _you_ out. It wouldn't be gentlemanly for me to let you lead the date."

"I am a big girl, Barry." Alex said with a frown. "I can handle myself."

"I know that." Barry said suddenly in a slight defensive pose. "I didn't mean it like that."

Alex gave him a cheeky smile. And it caused Barry to pout which made her laugh loudly.

"Okay, so Alex would you go on a date with me?"

"Sure." Alex said with a smile.

"Awesome!" Barry said with a cheeky smile.

Alex looked at Barry who had a big smile on his face. Maybe Jasmine was right this is what she has been missing all along.

 **Well so many people asked for this so and I managed to finish this before school starts yay and aww. I go back to school tomorrow so I managed to finish this.**

 **Please Review :D**


End file.
